United Future

Peter,

I was really shocked to see Rodney Hide's comments this morning, (nzherald.co.nz) and being so early in the morning made me feel rather sick. those in the middle class bracket, with mortgages, children to take care of, don't think their lifestyle is a bed of roses. It's hard work to maintain it and I have had the experience of being helped along the way on my lower income by those who are better off- that's what I call compassion and generosity. Hide's comments gave me a scary reminder of what I have read about Fascism in the 1930s 1940s.

As for mining on protected land, well, we have a tourism industry that's gaining us a nice income from people who have heard we have some wonderful bush to walk through. I understand it would take a number of years before a mining operation gets to see any coal. Therefore, one, using protected land for a gain in an export market is perhaps more destructive in the longer term than useful. Because we will have to clean up once the area is finished. Two, far-right politics is now too-far-right for most New Zealanders.